England players booed by Hungary fans for taking knee at World Cup qualifier

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Hungary fans have been heard booing England's stars for taking a knee before their World Cup qualifier.

The Three Lions made the gesture to show their continued stance against racism in front of a full house at the Ferenc Puskas Arena.

But deafening boos were heard around the 67,000-seater stadium for Gareth Southgate's boys.

It is not the first time Hungary fans have booed players taking the knee, with Republic of Ireland suffering the same fate during a friendly in June.

UEFA imposed a two-match stadium ban after repeated 'discriminatory behaviour' by supporters was reported during the European Championships.

This, however, does not apply to World Cup qualifiers such as the one taking place between Hungary and England.

The Three Lions are playing their first fixture since losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy, looking to make it four wins out of four in qualification for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

And the players made their stance clear before travelling that they would take the knee before kick-off.

Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips said the players would "carry on taking the knee because it's important for us, important for our country and to fight racial abuse".

Do you think Hungary should be more severely punished by UEFA? Let us know in the comments section.

While Southgate said on Wednesday: 'We always prepare the team for everything really.

"We've done that this week. We know that we've had our own issues at home so we're not focusing on other countries."

They did not expect support from Hungarian authorities, though, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban supported the behaviour in June's Ireland friendly.

He said after the game: "If you're a guest in a country then understand it's culture and do not provoke it.

"Do not provoke the host … We can only see this gesture system from our cultural vantage point as unintelligible, as provocation."

  • England Football Team

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